Visions Are Seldom All They Seem
by JKing88
Summary: Sleeping Beauty/magic AU: Will pricks his finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and waits for his true love to kiss him awake. Only it's not quite that simple. Will/Paul. Mentions of other ships.


Disclaimer: None of the characters are my own. This is extremely loosely based off of the Disney movie _Sleeping Beauty_ where the title comes from.

* * *

 **Salem, 1997**

Will Horton was sitting on a swing by himself at the park. His grandma was nearby keeping an eye on him but Will could see several people coming and stopping to talk to her. Will wished that he could play with the other kids at the park but every time he got close their parents would whisk them away.

Instead Will settled for swinging and singing to himself. As he was lightly singing under his breath Will looked at the swing next to him and laughed in delight. There was a fairy next to him, a tiny blue fairy.

Digging his heels into the sand to stop his swing Will put out his hand and beamed when the fairy landed on his palm.

When Marlena came over to collect Will she found him talking to himself. She knew he was lonely and it was only normal he develop an imaginary friend.

"Did you have fun?" Marlena asked as she took Will's hand as they started the walk back to Sami.

"I met a fairy," Will skipped along beside his grandma. "She said magic was real and one day I would see it again."

"That's nice sweetheart," Marlena smiled at Will's exuberance.

When Will and Marlena arrived home Will happily threw himself into his mommy's arms. "Guess what, Mommy?" Will grinned at her.

"What?" Sami smiled at how lively Will looked.

"I saw a fairy," Will whispered, "She was blue and she fit in my hand."

"What?" Sami's smile fell off her face instantly.

"She talked to me," Will explained looking at the frown on his mommy's face curiously.

Sami grabbed Will's shoulders, "Don't ever talk about that again, Will."

"Mommy?" Will whispered in surprise.

"I'm serious," Sami stared into Will's frightened blue eyes. "There's no such thing as fairies or magic, Will. Now, don't ever talk about that again."

 **Salem, 2015**

Will opened the door to the room Chad had offered Will and Ari to stay in for the night. He gently laid Ari onto the large bed and smiled as she rolled onto her stomach and stayed perfectly asleep. Touching the top of her head gently Will stood up and closed his eyes. After the argument earlier that day with Sonny all Will cared about at the moment was taking care of Ari. He had been afraid she wouldn't be able to sleep somewhere unfamiliar to her but he had lucked out.

After taking a moment to compose himself Will opened his eyes and inhaled sharply. For some reason there was a green light dancing in front of his eyes. _'Oh_ ,' Will thought, _'I've finally lost it_.' Blinking several times Will swallowed heavily when the light didn't disappear.

The light began to move and without his permission so did Will. Almost as if he was transfixed Will followed the light as it moved toward the empty fireplace in the room. The light touched the fireplace opening a secret tunnel. Will could feel his thoughts slipping away from him as he stepped toward the light and into the oversized fireplace.

Chad knocked softly at Will's door concerned when Will hadn't returned right away. He didn't know what was going on with Will and Sonny these days. He had been so wrapped up in convincing Abigail to be with him instead of Ben. However when he ran into Will in the square Chad offered him a place to stay. It was the least he could do after Will had helped him with Abigail.

When he didn't hear an answer Chad opened the door. Smiling gently at Ari's sleeping figure Chad searched over the room for Will. Chad was drawn towards the fireplace, frowning at the eerie green glow it was emitting. Bending over to get a closer look Chad prodded at a strange looking brick and jumped back in surprise when the back of the fireplace disappeared.

Seeing the strange green glow again Chad reached for his phone to call his father or a guard or someone when he saw Will walking down a tunnel and disappearing round a corner. Without any more thought Chad ducked into the fireplace and chased after Will calling his name.

Will walked slowly down the hallway until he saw a door. Following after the mesmerizing green light Will opened the door. Inside the room was a large spinning wheel. Will had never seen one in real life before. The second Will laid eyes on it though he couldn't look away. He stared at the sharp top in fascination.

Mind still blank Will moved after the light until it stopped right at the top of the spinning wheel. Without blinking Will stepped closer to the spinning wheel. Extending his arm Will reached for the tip before pulling back. Some part of him instinctually knew he shouldn't touch it.

Almost as if by magic a disembodied voice sounded in Will's ear, "Touch it. Touch it I say."

Listening to the voice without thought Will gently touched his finger to the spindle. His eyes snapped closed as his legs gave out from under him.

Chad, slamming the door open, ran to Will's side and caught him before he hit the ground. Hearing a strange ethereal laugh Chad heaved Will over his shoulder and began the trek back down the creepy hallway.

* * *

"What do you mean there isn't anything you can do?" Lucas shook his head at Daniel before resuming his pacing. "You're a doctor! There has to be something that can be done."

"I'm sorry, Lucas," Daniel sighed deeply. "But we've tried every test we can think of. It doesn't seem to make any sense but we can't get Will to wake up. There doesn't seem to be any medical reason for his condition. He's not in a coma. He's just asleep."

"What about what Chad said?" Lucas tried one more time to make sense of this. "About the green light?"

"I don't know, Lucas," Daniel said as he started moving towards the door. "My medical degree says there has to be something, anything that can explain this."

"But?" Lucas knew Daniel had something else to say.

"But something about this doesn't seem right," Daniel admitted. "There should be some explanation. But a strange green glow? That's not medical. It almost sounds like some sort of magic."

* * *

 _Will felt like he was walking through a deep fog. He could hear voices whispering nearby but they were so muddled he wasn't sure. Everything seemed hazy and strange. While looking around Will realized he must be in some type of a forest._

'Why am I here? I don't like the woods _,' Will sat down miserably on a log and waited for something to happen._

* * *

"Hello?" Sonny answered his phone the next morning. He had shut it off not wanting to deal with Will and seeing the amount of missed calls he had Sonny was certain he made the right choice.

"Oh, Sonny," Adrienne yelled out in relief. "I've been trying to reach you for hours."

"What's wrong?" Sonny asked hearing the sense of urgency in his mother's tone.

"You need to come to the hospital," Adrienne closed her eyes. "It's Will."

* * *

"Explain it to me again," Sonny demanded as he watched over Will's prone form. If it wasn't for the surroundings Sonny could have sworn Will was just sleeping deeply.

"I told you," Chad ran his hands through his hair. "I went to check on him and there was this weird light in the fireplace. I followed it and when I found him he was already out."

"But it doesn't make any sense," Sonny groaned. "What could have possibly done this to him?"

"All that was in there was a spinning wheel," Chad shook his head weakly. "But how could that have mattered?"

Sonny shrugged helplessly. He had to tear his eyes away from Will's face. It was almost too painful to look at him. He was fairly certain that their marriage was over but that didn't mean he wanted to see Will hurt. He never would want that.

Chad, hearing his phone beep, checked his message. "Ari's fine," Chad told Sonny. "She just woke up and Marlena is taking care of her."

"God," Sonny covered his eyes with the palms of his hands. "How am I even going to explain this to Ari?"

"Maybe Will will wake up soon and you won't have to," Chad said trying to sound optimistic.

"Maybe," Sonny replied.

Lucas came into Will's hospital room on a mission. Disregarding how he had startled Sonny and Chad, Lucas slammed his IPad on the foot of Will's bed.

"I found something," he announced loudly.

"What is it?" Sonny stood up from his chair quickly and looked over Lucas' shoulder at the screen.

"I searched around and I made a few calls," Lucas explained, "Something Daniel said got me thinking. I'm almost certain that must be it."

"What are you talking about?" Chad questioned not following Lucas' thinking at all.

"The reason they can't find anything medically wrong with Will is because this isn't medical," Lucas told them both. "It's magic."

"Magic," Sonny repeated dumfounded. "That's, Lucas that is ridiculous. This-this isn't a joke."

"I'm being serious," Lucas knew Sonny wouldn't believe him.

"There is no way-" Sonny began saying feeling his face contort in anger.

"It makes sense," Lucas shook his head insistently. "An eerie glow and now this? I've found similar cases."

Lucas pointed to his IPad and started scrolling through a message board.

"Look at this," Lucas ordered. "Post after post of similar cases."

"Lucas," Sonny turned away from him. "You can't believe everything you read on the internet."

"Did they wake up?" Chad pulled the IPad from Lucas. "The people? Did they wake up?"

"Some of them," Lucas looked at Chad, relieved someone was willing to hear him out.

"How?" Chad demanded. "What did they have to do?"

"It seems relatively simple," Lucas swallowed and glanced at Sonny suspiciously, "But it might not be."

"Just spit it out," Chad said getting frustrated.

"A kiss," Lucas sighed, "Only true love's kiss can wake Will now."

"Why wouldn't that be simple?" Chad wondered. "Sonny can kiss Will and all of this will be over."

"This is stupid," Sonny insisted from a corner of the room. "Chad, you can't believe this."

"It's worth a shot," Chad argued. Watching Sonny, seeing the way his arms were crossed and he wouldn't look near Will, Chad got a strange feeling.

"It would be," Lucas snorted. "But the reason the other people haven't woke up? It's because they haven't found their true love."

Chad looked between Lucas and Sonny carefully. "Oh," he closed his eyes. "You don't think Sonny is Will's true love."

"I don't know," Lucas admitted. "It could be anyone. Some of these people have been asleep for years. Some might never wake up."

"There's only one way to find out," Chad said as he moved toward Sonny and snatched his arm dragging him towards Will.

Sonny sat down in the chair Chad pulled towards the bed. "This is stupid," Sonny repeated looking away from Will.

"Just kiss him," Chad ordered. "Maybe it will work maybe it won't. But we owe it to Will to try even if we have to get every man in Salem in here."

"This isn't magic," Sonny insisted. "Things like that aren't real."

"After everything that's happened in this town you really don't think this could happen? Out of all of the crazy, ridiculous things magic is what you can't believe." Chad looked at Sonny sadly.

"What if I kiss him and nothing happens?" Sonny whispered.

"Then we start figuring out other options," Lucas stated in a no-nonsense tone.

"What if he wakes up?" Sonny asked in a low voice. "What if he wakes up and I can't do it?"

"Do what?" Chad didn't understand Sonny's behavior.

"If I find out he's my true love," Sonny tried to explain, "There's no going back. No getting away from what I feel."

"I really don't care how you feel right now," Lucas bluntly replied. "I just care about my son. Either you kiss him and he wakes up or he doesn't. That's all I care about right now."

"He needs a doctor not a kiss," Sonny shook his head still refusing to believe this.

"Just do it," Lucas hissed. "I know that this is magic, OK? I know it is."

Sonny nodded before pushing himself off of his chair and hovering over Will. He took a small amount of comfort in seeing Will's chest moving up and down. Sonny gently touched Will's cheek before he leaned down. ' _He's still your husband. You've kissed Will a million times. You can do this_.' Sonny squeezed his eyes closed before pressing his lips against Will's.

When Sonny pulled away he noticed a very faint light swirling beneath Will's skin. Sonny exhaled loudly and hung his head. He didn't know if he was disappointed or relieved when Will didn't open his eyes.

* * *

 _Will had moved to the grass and began pulling at the blades. He wasn't sure he liked this dream. Nothing seemed to be happening. Listlessly looking around Will felt alarmed when he saw a figure walking towards him._

 _Standing up quickly Will felt like this was important. Whoever this stranger was had to be important to be the only person he had seen in what felt like ages._

" _Hello?" Will called towards the figure. Now that he was closer Will could tell it was a man. But the man didn't stop. Instead he just kept walking and walking right past Will._

" _Hello?" Will asked in a softer tone sitting back on the grass watching as the man moved out of sight._

* * *

Chad stared out the door as Sonny ran out. He knew he should give him at least a few moments alone. "Now what do we do?" Chad asked Lucas.

"I guess we start looking for someone that could be his true love," Lucas sighed.

"How are we supposed to do that?" Chad wondered. "It could be anyone, anywhere. How are we ever going to find him?"

"We have to try," Lucas decided. "No matter what we have to do."

Chad nodded in understanding. He knew what he needed to do.

"You're my friend and I love you so I'm willing to give this a try," Chad said as he bent over Will's figure. "No matter what happens we're not telling Abigail," Chad whispered before he bent down and kissed Will.

The same green glow Chad had seen before flashed across Will's skin but he didn't even stir.

* * *

 _Will looked up from the pile of grass he had pulled and watched as another figure, also a male, walked right past him without even pausing to look._

'I'm going to be stuck here forever _,' Will thought miserably. It felt like he had been trapped in this strange dream for days. Will knew there was some reason he needed to leave but the longer he stayed in the foggy woods the harder it was to remember why._

* * *

Lucas turned away as another stranger walked out of Will's room. He hated the idea of total strangers kissing his son but he didn't know what else to do. He couldn't just let Will lay there while he did nothing. So, Lucas and Chad set up flyers and posts online. It wasn't ideal and Lucas was certain his son would be mortified but it was all Lucas could think to do.

' _I'm not letting my son lay here for the rest of his life because we couldn't find his true love. Even if it takes years I'll find him._ '

Lucas kept thinking about his interactions with his son over the past few months. _'All I've been doing since I found out about Will cheating on Sonny is accuse him of things and argue with him. Now seeing him here knowing he might never wake up really puts everything into perspective_.'

Lucas heard a knock on the door. "What are you two doing here?" Lucas questioned a bit harsher than he intended.

"I heard the craziest rumor," Paul said, "And then Marlena kind of backed it up when I saw her earlier."

Paul moved out of the way to let Derrick into the room before him. Paul paused when he saw Will lying on the hospital bed. Paul had a hard time looking away from Will. It wasn't the first time he had seen Will in bed before but that time was nothing like this.

He felt almost uncomfortable watching Will like this. He knew Will wouldn't like everyone viewing him like this, vulnerable. He knew Will wouldn't want him in particular seeing him like this. But Paul knew he had to come and see if it was true.

Paul would never admit it to anyone but he had always believed in magic. When he heard Will was trapped in a spell he had to see for himself. He wanted to see magic in person at least once.

"Well," Lucas shrugged, "Now you know it's true so you don't have to be here."

"Are you really having people kiss him?" Derrick asked a bit judgmentally.

"What else am I supposed to do?" Lucas fired back. "He can't stay like this forever."

"I just think it's a little weird," Derrick held up his hands not wanting to upset Lucas.

"It's the only thing I can do," Lucas admitted before slumping into a chair.

Derrick didn't know Will very well and what he did know wasn't entirely positive. _'But he did help me out with Paul,_ ' Derrick thought. He and Paul were only casually seeing each other but it was more than he ever thought he would get.

Not giving it much thought Derrick moved towards Will and kissed him quickly. Pulling away he was a bit startled to see the greenish glow move across Will's face but other than that nothing.

Paul frowned slightly when Derrick kissed Will. He knew that bothered him but he wasn't sure it was for the reason that was expected. The reason that it should bother him.

"Guess that's that then," Derrick shrugged. He did feel a bit bad that Will was still out of it but he wasn't sure he believed in all this magic nonsense. ' _But that green light was pretty freaky._ '

"You gonna try?" Lucas gave Paul a blank look.

"Um," Paul licked his lips nervously. He felt his pulse begin to race and his heart pound in his chest. "Yeah I guess I should," Paul finally said. Paul walked towards Will and put his hand down on the bed. The tips of his fingertips touched Will.

Paul could have sworn he saw that same strange green light appear against Will's face but before he could question it a group of guys knocked on the door.

"Is this where Will Horton is?" one of the guys asked as he held up his phone and showed off a post online.

Lucas, recognizing the ad Chad put online, stood up, "Yeah, just get in line and wait your turn."

Derrick grabbed Paul's arm and pulled him towards the door, "Come on. Let's go."

"Right," Paul looked over his shoulder as he saw Lucas directing everyone into a line.

* * *

 _Will gasped when he felt a sharp spike near his hand. Glancing down Will could have sworn he had seen a hand touching him but there was nothing there._ 'It's nothing _,' Will assured himself._

 _Will watched as a parade of vague male shadows began walking past him. He thought he recognized a few but he wasn't certain. No one stopped to talk to him or even seemed to notice he was there at all._

'Maybe I'm not here _,' Will thought. '_ Maybe this is more than just a dream _.'_

* * *

Paul closed his hotel room door with a peculiar look on his face. He knew Derrick had wanted to stay with him but for some reason Paul just wasn't in the mood. ' _Right now all I want is a hot shower and to go to sleep.'_

With his hair dripping wet and his skin still damp Paul crawled under his sheets and closed his eyes.

 _While sleeping deeply Paul found himself in a strange looking forest. It was hard to see through the thick layers of fog. All he could make out were the vague outlines of trees and logs and grass. Paul began exploring and paused when he saw someone sitting down near a log._

 _Without thinking about it Paul moved towards the figure and could have sworn he knew them from somewhere._

" _Hey," Paul called out softly not wanting to startle them._

 _The man turned around and stared at Paul as if he could hardly believe his eyes. "You're real?" the man questioned. Scrambling to his feet he hurried to stand in front of Paul, "You're here?"_

" _Yes," Paul answered with a smile. The man's features were hard to make out. Paul knew the man was familiar but he didn't know how or why he knew that. All Paul seemed to recognize about the man was one attribute._

" _What is it?" the man asked as he openly gazed at Paul._

" _I just didn't expect you to be so young," Paul replied before frowning. Something about that phrase niggled at the back of Paul's mind. Paul knew if he could figure it out he might be able to discover who the man was._

" _Well," the man laughed, eyes wrinkling as he practically beamed, "There's not much I can do about that."_

 _Paul shook his head. He knew those words and knew that phrase. '_ But who said them and why can't I remember?'

" _I feel like I know you," the man whispered looking at Paul's face. "From some far off place that I can't go back to."_

" _I know," Paul nodded. He had a hard time making out the man's face but he could see a glow in his eyes. "The gleam in your eyes is so…" Paul trailed off as he saw a line of shadowy figures walking past._

" _Who are they?" Paul questioned._

" _I don't know," the man responded. "I don't think they're supposed to be a part of this dream."_

" _Is that what this is?" Paul wondered out loud. "A dream?"_

" _It must be," the man answered. "That's what it feels like but I've been here for ages. I don't know if I'll ever get out."_

" _I'll find a way to save you," Paul promised. He didn't know what possessed him to say the words but he knew they were true. He knew he would do anything to save his sad, lonely friend._

" _Please," the man looked into Paul's eyes._

 _Paul felt his breath hitch slightly. Maybe because it was a dream, because he knew it wasn't real, Paul could have sworn the fluttering in his chest was love._ 'How can I love a stranger _?'_

 _The man stepped closer to Paul and lightly touched his chest. "Please," the man licked his lips, "Save me."_

" _Yes," Paul nodded before giving the man a half smile and cupping his face between his hands. When their lips touched Paul gasped. '_ Yes, definitely love _.'_

Just as they pulled apart Paul opened his eyes. He was awake.

* * *

John sat down across from Paul at The Brady Pub.

Paul furrowed his brows when he saw his father looking so upset, "What's wrong?"

John shook his head, "It's Will still. Lucas and Chad have had every gay, bisexual or questioning male in this town come by. Nothing."

Paul put his hands around his mug and looked at the table. Hearing Will's name gave him a strange feeling in his chest. He could have sworn he dreamt about Will the night before but he couldn't be sure. The harder Paul tried to remember his dream the further it slipped away.

"We just don't know what we're going to do now," John explained. "The doctor's still can't find anything wrong with Will other than the fact that he's been asleep for almost a week. Lucas is thinking about expanding the search to the rest of the state but the rest of us aren't sure. What if some creep comes and tries to take advantage of the situation? We've had to have someone in Will's room round the clock when Lucas caught some guys trying to touch Will when he was alone."

Paul hadn't even thought of that. He already felt awful thinking about the amount of men that must have been parading in and out of Will's hospital room. ' _Will would be horrified by all of this_ ,' Paul knew.

"It just would have been so much easier if it was Sonny," John admitted. He glanced at Paul carefully knowing how sensitive of a subject that was. "Speaking of Sonny," John continued slowly, "Have you talked to him since all of this started?"

"No," Paul shook his head. He hadn't even thought about Sonny. He had spent so long going back and forth with Sonny since he got to Salem he wasn't even sure what to do now. Just a month ago Paul would have been at Sonny's side in an instant but something about that seemed wrong now, distasteful.

' _His husband is under some sort of spell waiting for his true love, a true love that isn't Sonny_.' A part of Paul wanted to find Sonny and take advantage of how lost and confused he must be about this all. But another part of him couldn't. Paul kept picturing Will lying in his bed completely helpless to the men going in and out of his room.

"Is it because of that Derrick guy you've been seeing?" John pressed. He wasn't sure what to think about his son's reaction, ' _Or non-reaction_ ,' he thought. He would have expected Paul to jump at the chance to be with Sonny.

Paul looked up at his father with a strange look on his face. "No," Paul said. "No, Derrick and I are just having fun. We're friends."

"Are you sure about that?" John had to be sure.

"That's all it is for me," Paul clarified. "I told him I wasn't looking for anything serious, that I didn't want to be tied down."

"If you say so," John replied as he took a drink. His phone went off with a single beep. Checking the message John sighed, "Damn. I need to get back to the hospital. Apparently Lucas didn't wait for any of us and expanded the search. I need to get there and see if I can help weed out any of the undesirables."

"I'll go with you," Paul decided as he pulled out a few bills from his wallet and left them on the table.

* * *

"Why is he here?" Lucas questioned John when he saw Paul walking inside.

Paul, feeling a bit nauseous seeing the large line outside Will's room, answered before his father had the chance, "You haven't tried everyone in town yet."

"Who did I miss?" Lucas demanded. This was all becoming too much. He knew he was going to need to contact Sami soon if Will didn't wake up and that would be another mess entirely. _'I just want my son back,_ ' he thought desperately. _'I just want him to wake up and I'll stop judging him. I'll tell him I'm sorry I implied he was worse than Sami. I just want my son_.'

"Yeah," Chad stood up and crossed his arms as he looked at Paul. "Hell we even tried to see if Ari could get him to budge and nothing."

Paul pressed his lips together and looked over at Will.

Chad narrowed his eyes at Paul before sweeping his arm towards Will, "Go right ahead."

Paul moved to the chair beside Will's bed. He examined Will's face. He could tell that someone had been taking care of Will by cleaning his face and applying Chap Stick. For some reason that made Paul smile. He doubted Will would want to kiss that many guys looking anything but his best.

Paul nibbled on his own lip as he stared at Will's. He knew what those lips felt like against his own. He knew what they felt like kissing down his cheek and his neck and other more intimate places. He and Will had spent longer familiarizing each other to their bodies than either admitted.

' _It's just a kiss_ ,' Paul told himself. ' _Nothing is going to happen I'm sure. It's just a kiss_.'

Looking over his shoulder Paul asked, "Do you have to be in here for this?"

"Yes," Lucas said. "How else am I supposed to know if it works or if something happens?"

"I'm not going to do anything," Paul told Lucas feeling a bit offended. "I just don't exactly feel comfortable with you all hovering."

"Yeah well," Lucas crossed his arms defiantly, "I'm not willing to take any chances."

"Fine," Paul knew he was just stalling anyway. ' _It's just a kiss_ ,' he reminded himself. _'You can do this_.'

"Wait," Chad stopped Paul before he could move. "Do you believe in this? Do you believe he's under a spell?"

"I," Paul blinked several times as he thought it over. "Yes, I really do."

"Good," Chad replied. "I'm not sure anyone else that's tried has."

' _Right,_ ' Paul thought. _'It's just to break a spell_.' Paul adjusted himself and leaned over Will's face. Taking a quick breath Paul slowly, gently kissed Will. He waited a few seconds before pulling away.

He puffed out a breath through his nose when nothing seemed to happen. Paul closed his eyes and slumped down against the chair.

* * *

 _Ever since his friend had left Will found himself lying on the grass staring up at the sky. Or what he perceived to be the sky. It was so foggy he could hardly tell. Hearing a rustling sound Will rolled onto his side and frowned when he saw another shadowy figure coming towards him. Closing his eyes Will tried not to think of his stranger. '_ Maybe he'll be back again, one day. He said he would save me _.'_

 _Will snapped his eyes opened when he felt the grass near him shifting slightly. Someone was standing above staring down at him. Will opened his mouth to say something but the words wouldn't come. Before Will knew it the apparition slowly began changing and taking a shape. The features began to sharpen as he began talking. Will could have sworn he knew that face and he knew that voice._

 _The face got closer and closer and before Will knew it they were kissing_.

* * *

"Paul," John said quickly as he tore his eyes away from his son, "Look."

Paul opened his eyes and jumped backwards, chair and all, when he saw Will glowing a dark green.

"That's never happened before," Lucas said breathlessly trying not to get his hopes up.

Paul stood up and moved towards Will. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do now. He wasn't sure if there was anything he could do. Making a decision Paul grabbed Will's hand and whispered, "Will?"

Will slowly opened his eyes before closing them again at the bright lights.

Chad flipped the lights off quickly in response.

"Will?" Paul questioned again trying not to think about the implication of what this meant.

Fluttering his lashes a few times Will finally kept his eyes open. Staring at the ceiling Will frowned feeling confused and lethargic. Responding to the hand squeezing his, Will looked to the side and stared at Paul.

"Oh my god," Lucas gasped. "He's awake."

"Finally," Chad ran his hands over his face. "God this is amazing."

"Paul," John stepped towards the bed. He looked between Will and Paul wondering what they were thinking as they gazed at each other's faces. "Son, do you know what this means?"

"Yeah," Paul finally answered still staring at Will. "I know what it means."

"What does it mean?" Will asked voice low and scratchy from lack of use. "What happened?"

Lucas moved to Will's other side and smiled widely, "It's OK now, Will. It doesn't matter."

Lucas shared a glance with Chad. They had already discussed what they would tell Will about what had happened. In the end they decided if Will didn't remember it might be best to keep him in the dark. ' _Will doesn't need to know that Sonny isn't his true love.'_ Glancing at Paul Lucas thought, ' _Or that apparently Paul is.'_

"What doesn't matter?" Will finally tore his eyes away from Paul.

"It's nothing," Lucas tried to give Will a reassuring smile. "Just a little mishap, right Paul?"

Paul opened his mouth. He wanted to agree with Lucas. He wanted to tell Will that nothing happened so he could go back to his regular life. But something was holding him back. The same something that made him come back today. The same something that told him he had dreamed about Will the night before.

Without thinking Paul squeezed Will's hand and waited for Will to face him again. "You were under a spell and I woke you up," Paul rushed out quickly despite Lucas' complaints.

"A spell?" Will repeated weakly. Closing his eyes again he tried to think. Blocking out his father loudly arguing with John, Will vaguely remembered something. "There was a light," Will said as he caught Paul's eyes again. "And a voice."

Paul nodded as he listened to Will.

"It told me to touch the spinning wheel but I didn't know why," Will explained. "I think I was dreaming. I was alone but then someone came."

"It was a spell," Paul described not sure if he was ready to admit anything else.

"How did I wake up?" Will questioned carefully, nervously.

"Paul, don't," Lucas ordered.

"True love's kiss," Paul replied over Lucas. "That's the only way to break the spell."

Will's eyes widened and he swallowed several times, "Oh."

"Yeah," Paul let Will's hand slip through his and fall to the bed. He didn't know how he felt about this. He didn't know how this could have actually happened. He had liked Will once upon a time. He had contemplated maybe letting Will be his something new. ' _But love? That was never something that crossed my mind.'_

' _How could Will be my one true love when we argue more than anything? Whenever I seem to know what Will's thinking or feeling he does something different and I have to start all over again. He hates me,'_ Paul took a step away from the bed. ' _How could this ever work? It has to be a joke_.'

' _But what about the dream? That had to be Will. And how many guys have kissed him and nothing? I kissed him and he woke up. I broke the spell_.'

Will tried not to think about what this meant. He tried not to think about Paul or what was going to happen next. Instead he focused on the one question that kept running through his head, "Who could have done this?"

"What?" Chad, pushing Lucas out of his way to get closer to Will, "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Will wished someone would bring him something to drink, "This couldn't have happened by accident so who could have done it."

"I-I don't know," Chad admitted reluctantly. He and Lucas had spent all their time trying to figure out how to fix Will they didn't even think about who could have put him there in the first place.

Chad reached over and pushed the button for a nurse figuring Will should be checked out anyway.

As a nurse and Dr. Jonas came into the room Paul slowly slipped out the door. It was too much to handle at the moment. He needed time to process everything, to figure out what this meant. _'Or what I want it to mean,_ ' Paul thought as he headed straight for the elevator and didn't look back.

* * *

"I told you, Mom," Will said into his phone as he sat with Ari on his bed at the DiMera Mansion. "I'm perfectly fine. It was just a really long nap."

"I-I just hate this," Sami replied. "That it came to this."

"What does that mean?" Will questioned as he smiled at Ari playing with her blocks.

"Will," Sami sighed, "There's something I need to tell you."

"OK," Will said slowly. "What is it?"

"When I was younger," Sami started explaining. "I had this dream or at least I thought it was a dream. That's not important," Sami shook her head and focused, "At the time all I wanted in life was Austin. And as you and everyone in Salem knows I was willing to do anything I could to get him."

"Yeah," Will nodded listening carefully.

"In my dream I met a fairy. This tiny green little fairy," Sami continued, "And she said she could get me what I wanted but at a price. She told me I would get Austin if I made a deal with her."

"What did you do?" Will licked his lips already knowing where this was going.

"I thought it was a dream," Sami defended. "And I was young and stupid and not even pregnant then. I had no idea what was going to happen, that this was going to happen one day."

"Mom?" Will pressed needing her to finish.

"She told me I would get Austin and in exchange she would put a curse on my firstborn," Sami quickly told Will. "That one day they would prick their finger on a spinning wheel and may never wake up again."

"I asked," Sami added, "Why they might never wake up and she told me that because what I wanted wasn't true that's what would save my child. That what I wanted was so selfish one day I would learn my lesson that only true love conquers all."

"Right," Will said after a few moments, "So that explains that I guess."

"I didn't think it was real," Sami said told Will. "I swear I didn't."

"You didn't know," Will didn't like it but he understood. He knew how his mother was back then. Just like he also knew that if it was after he was born she never would have done it. His mother might be a lot of things but Will knew she loved him.

"I am so sorry," Sami whispered tearfully.

"I know, Mom," Will nodded even though he knew she couldn't see him. Reaching out to brush Ari's blonde hair out of her face Will said, "It's not your fault."

"What are you going to do now?" Sami asked as she wiped underneath her eyes.

"I have no idea," Will admitted.

* * *

Despite having been asleep for six days Will found himself yawning and closing his eyes while he lied next to Ari in bed. He had wanted to watch her sleep for a few minutes after he tucked her in. He wanted to see her sweet face and count how many breaths she took as her chest rose and fell.

But the minute he laid his head on the pillow his eyes slid shut and he was asleep.

 _Will found himself in the forest he left behind earlier in the day. It wasn't as foggy this time. Will could see that the trees were green and lush, that the sky above was blue. All of the details he never saw before were coming to life._

'Why am I back here _?' Will walked around the small clearing with no goal in mind. Before he knew it he was back in the same spot as he began only there was another person standing there as well, a familiar person._

 _Paul turned and faced Will. Neither said anything for a moment just stared at one another as a few birds flew overhead._

 _Remembering what happened the last few times they were here Will crossed his arms and said the first thing that came to mind, "I know why this keeps happening."_

" _You do?" Paul wondered. He had locked himself away in his hotel room after he left the hospital. He turned off his phone and tried to think. He fell asleep and here he was back in the forest, back with Will._

" _My mom said she had a dream when she was young, 15 or so," Will explained slowly, "That she would get what she wanted but because it was my mother what she wanted was selfish. One day she would be punished through me. Spinning wheel, spindle, and eternal sleep until true love woke me up."_

 _Paul blankly watched Will for a moment before saying, "Your mother did this?"_

" _I keep forgetting you haven't been around Salem for very long," Will chuckled. "One of these days I'll make a chart for you explaining my mother."_

" _That describes how it happened I suppose," Paul decided. "But not what this is," Paul gestured between the two of them, "Not what we need to do now."_

" _We don't need to do anything," Will said turning away from Paul. "You woke me up and that's it."_

" _But-" Paul started to say._

" _Paul," Will closed his eyes. "I don't even know if I believe in true love much less it's what we have."_

" _Right," Paul nodded slowly. "So what do we do?"_

" _Live our lives," Will shrugged. "We'll see each other here."_

* * *

Every night after that when Will and Paul closed their eyes they met in the forest. Some days they had what felt like hours together other times only minutes. Neither brought up why it kept happening or what it meant. They took the time to talk. Paul told stories about baseball and fame. Will started telling Paul about his mother and his upbringing.

During the day, however, the two went out of their way to avoid each other. Paul continued to spend time getting to know his new family and when he had time he saw Derrick too. Paul knew Derrick was expecting things to progress between them but they hadn't. It was hard to think about a relationship when every time he fell asleep Will Horton was waiting for him in his dreams.

Meanwhile Will and Ari continued to stay at the DiMera Mansion. Will had gone to see Sonny but after everything Will had done during their marriage it seemed almost impossible for them to recover. Will knew they might have had a chance of reconciling and rebuilding after his cheating and all of his schemes but after someone else's kiss woke Will up they didn't know what to do. Will didn't even blame Sonny when he had suggested they separate and prepare for divorce. It hurt more than anything else ever had but Will understood.

Will didn't think Sonny knew who had woken Will up. Will never mentioned it and Sonny never brought it up. Will didn't know what Sonny would do if he found out. Will wasn't even entirely sure what part of that would hurt Sonny the most.

When Will found out Sonny was leaving town for a little while he didn't even protest.

' _Of course my mother would manage to make a deal with a mythical being to screw me and everyone around me over_ ,' Will thought. ' _That's just my luck._ '

"Cheer up," Chad handed Will a glass of alcohol and slumped next to him on the sofa. "You could have my life and watch the person you love start a family with someone you hate."

Accepting the drink Will grunted, "I'd say both of our lives suck right about now."

"I don't know why yours sucks," Chad said. "You know who you're supposed to be with. The magic said it all. And now Sami knows only true love conquers."

"Right," Will sardonically stated, "True love."

"Although it is kind of funny," Chad told Will, "I think Paul is just about the only one that kissed you who actually believed it was a spell."

"What do you mean?" Will turned to face Chad.

"Paul said he believed in magic," Chad shrugged. "I wonder if that mattered."

"What?" Will wondered. "You think maybe the only reason Paul woke me up is because he thought he could. That he's not really my true love?"

"Beats me," Chad admitted. "I don't know how magic works but believing in it has to help."

* * *

 _That night when Will found himself in the forest the first thing he did when he found Paul was ask, "Did you believe you would wake me up when you kissed me?"_

" _Uh," Paul took a few moments to process what Will was asking, "I'm not sure."_

" _But you believed that someone would, right? That one day someone would kiss me and I would wake up?" Will needed to know, had to know if this was connected._

" _Of course," Paul nodded. Rolling his eyes at himself Paul said, "I don't know how to say it but I've always believed in magic and that kind of stuff. I mean, OK I've never told anyone this before," Paul divulged, "But this one time when I was little I was outside pitching. There was this tree with a hole in the middle of it and I would throw the ball there over and over to practice."_

" _And I swear," Paul shook his head almost in disbelief, "That one time I threw it and when I went to pull the ball out a fairy was sitting on it."_

" _Really?" Will tilted his head and looked at Paul. Will noticed how earnest Paul looked, earnest and sheepish, almost as if he was ashamed of what he believed._

" _Yeah," Paul gave Will a half smile. "A tiny blue fairy just sitting on the ball. I stared at her and just when I called for my mom the fairy flew away. I never saw one again but I always remembered that. I don't know," Paul shrugged, "When I heard about you I figured it might be the same thing. I saw magic once. I knew I would see it again."_

" _I think," Will took a deep breath, "Maybe that's why this happened. Why you woke me up and why I saw you before that. Because you believed in it. Believed that it might work."_

" _Maybe," Paul acknowledged. "But how do we explain why this keeps happening?"_

" _You mean the dreams?" Will guessed. "I-I don't know. Maybe if we stopped believing it would go away."_

" _I don't think it's that simple," Paul replied. "There had to have been at least one other guy that kissed you who believed it might work, at least one. But only I woke you up."_

" _That might not mean anything," Will tried to say. He wanted to believe it was that easy._

" _Will," Paul was tired of this. Tired of playing this game with Will where they talked about anything but what they needed to. "I think we both know that isn't true."_

" _We don't know that," Will insisted. "We don't know anything about this. We don't even know what exactly did this to me, to us. We don't know anything."_

" _I know that I kissed you," Paul stepped closer to Will, "I kissed you and you woke up. I know that every night when I go to sleep I'm going to see you. I know that before you woke up I met you here in this place," Paul waved his hands around the forest. "And I kissed you then too. I kissed you and all I could think about was being in love with you."_

 _Will tried to take a step back but Paul reached out and grabbed his wrists. "Paul," Will shook his head, "That's crazy."_

" _Oh," Paul demanded, "Thinking I was in love with you when we met in a dream is crazy but you being under a spell because your mother made a deal with some magic creature isn't?"_

" _Hey," Will defended weakly. "I just think it's crazy that you kissed me and thought you were in love with me. We've kissed before then. Several times and never once did we think we were in love."_

" _I know that," Paul argued. "I didn't say it made sense. But it's been weeks and I think it's time we start facing the truth."_

" _No," Will shook his head. "I-I'm sorry but I can't."_

" _Will," Paul was beginning to get fed up. "Why can't you just listen to me?"_

" _I don't know how," Will admitted in a quiet voice. "I don't know how to admit that this is true."_

" _Fine," Paul could wait a little longer for this conversation to happen. But that didn't mean he wasn't going to make progress tonight._

" _You don't have to accept anything yet," Paul informed Will. "You just have to let me kiss you again," Paul said before he slid his hands around Will's neck and kissed him._

When Paul opened his eyes next he was in his hotel room staring up at the ceiling. _'Damnit_ ,' Paul covered his face with his hands.

* * *

"Why are you drinking that?" Chad asked Will as he walked into the kitchen before bed and saw Will with a large cup of coffee.

"I'm trying to stay up," Will confessed. "I don't want to go to sleep."

"Why not?" Chad frowned as he grabbed a bottle of water. "Are you having nightmares?"

"It's starting to seem that way," Will whispered. Looking over at Chad Will figured he owed him the truth. ' _After everything Chad did to help wake me up I should tell him the truth_.'

"Every night since I woke up in the hospital," Will admitted, "I see Paul in my dreams."

"Like a dream, dream or a magical dream?" Chad moved closer to Will.

"Magical dream," Will sighed. "Like when I was under the spell. Every night all I see is Paul."

"Why don't you just talk to Paul?" Chad wondered. "He woke you up. He believed that you could be woken up with a kiss. You see him every night, Will. You have to know this means something."

"I know," Will disclosed, "That's what I'm afraid of."

* * *

Paul tried to catch his breath as he rolled away from Derrick. It had been far too long since Paul had done that. Closing his eyes Paul tried to fight off the drowsiness taking over him.

"Derrick," Paul whispered suddenly needing to know something.

"Yeah?" Derrick grinned at Paul.

"Do you believe in magic?" Paul turned on his side and opened his eyes.

"Seriously?" Derrick laughed as he pulled the sheet higher up on his hips. "Not really, no."

"Oh," Paul rolled onto his back.

"I take it you do?" Derrick moved closer and touched Paul's arm.

Paul nodded, "I did. I'm just beginning to wonder if it's a waste of my time."

* * *

 _Will waited patiently for Paul to show up in the forest that night. Will never knew when it would happen since they kept such different schedules. To keep himself occupied Will started humming. With a smile on his face Will remembered the time he was little and met a fairy at the park._

'And my mother warned me to never believe in things like that again _,' Will recalled. '_ But that was because she was afraid of the curse. That fairy must have been real.'

 _Turning around Will saw Paul standing before him but something was wrong. Usually Will could see every detail about Paul but tonight he looked distorted almost as if Will was viewing him underwater. Beginning to panic Will hurried close to Paul's side and tried to touch his arm but there was some type of shield blocking them._

" _Paul?" Will shouted as he banged his hands against the invisible barricade._

 _Will could see Paul's lips moving but he couldn't hear him at all. Will tried desperately for the rest of the night to communicate but nothing worked. Before Will knew it Paul was gone. '_ He must have woken up _,' Will realized._

 _Looking over his shoulder Will gasped when he saw the fog beginning to descend over the forest once again. The sounds of the birds and the gentle breeze were masked. Will could no longer see the vibrancy of the leaves or the bushes._

 _Will found himself in the middle of a dark, dank clearing. He tried to explore hoping that maybe he would find a way out but every time he moved toward a tree it seemed to zoom backwards out of focus._

'I just need to wake up _,' Will tried to focus. '_ Just wake up and everything will be fine _.'_

 _No matter what Will did he couldn't wake up. He was trapped in his eternal slumber once again._

* * *

Paul pounded on the door of the DiMera Mansion early the next morning. With barely an explanation to Derrick Paul practically kicked him out when he woke up. He didn't mean to be so rude but this was important. ' _I have to make sure that Will is OK_.'

When the door was opened Paul pushed the servant aside and ran for the staircase. He didn't know which room Will was in but he would try every door until he found the one he needed.

"Paul?" Chad asked as he came out of his bedroom. "What's going on?" Chad wondered as he saw how freaked out Paul looked.

"Where is Will's room?" Paul demanded.

"It's over here," Chad pointed to a door a few down from his. "What is this all about?"

Without bothering to answer Paul slammed the door open and paused when he saw Will sleeping peacefully on the bed. Snapping out of it Paul crawled onto the bed and started shaking Will awake. "Will, wake up," Paul ordered.

"What the hell?" Chad said as he came inside.

When Will remained limp in his hands Paul let him go and put his hands over his mouth. "Oh god," Paul whispered as he scooted off the bed.

"Why isn't he waking up?" Chad panicked. "Paul? What is this?"

"I don't know," Paul shook his head.

"Just, just kiss him again," Chad ordered. "Kiss him and wake him up, now."

"Right," Paul's shoulders slumped in relief. "Idiot," he mumbled to himself. He walked over to the bed and bent over Will's face. Just before Paul pressed their lips together he found himself blocked.

' _Oh no_ ,' Paul thought. He tried over and over again to get his mouth near Will's but it was useless. ' _Whatever prevented us from touching in the dream is working now too_.'

"What did you do?" Chad turned to glare at Paul.

Paul put his head in his hands and sat on the edge of the bed, "Last night before I went to bed I started questioning the magic, the spell. I think I screwed something up."

"You have to find a way to fix this," Chad started saying. "There has to be a way to set everything right."

"How?" Paul stared at Will again, "Who could we even ask for help?"

Chad paced back and forth for a few moments before snapping his fingers, "When we were teenagers Will told me once he thought he saw a fairy in the park. He said he told his mom and she flipped out on him."

"A fairy?" Paul repeated as he stood up. "Right," Paul remembered his own encounter. "I need to get to the park."

* * *

 _Will sat down near the fallen log with his knees drawn to his chest. He didn't remember it being so cold and creepy here. Every now and again he'd hear a crow cawing somewhere nearby but he could never spot one._

 _He couldn't understand how this had happened, why it had happened. '_ There's no spinning wheel or a spindle. There's no curse. What's happening?'

 _Will pressed his forehead on his knees and tried to relax. When an eerie high pitched cackle sounded nearby Will jumped. He lifted his head and was faced with the same ominous green light that led him to the spinning wheel._

 _Will stood up slowly, "Who is it? Who's there?"_

 _The green light slowly began circling until a creature appeared in the middle of it. A small green fairy smiled at Will. Its tiny wings beat rapidly as it steady itself in front of Will's face._

" _What, who are you?" Will asked quietly._

 _The little fairy smirked and replied, "I think you know who I am."_

" _Why am I here again?" Will questioned. "Paul already kissed me and woke me up."_

" _Ah yes," the fairy sighed dramatically. "True love's kiss." The fairy's face morphed into something bitter and ugly, "Well I'm afraid it's going to take much more than that this time."_

" _Bu-but there isn't a spell," Will gasped. "Why are you doing this?"_

" _All those years ago when I made that deal with your mother I intended to teach her a lesson," the fairy explained. "I did not realize I would need to teach it to her firstborn and his love either."_

" _What?" Will whispered._

" _I don't like anyone doubting my magic," the fairy declared. "So until you and your prince both believe here you will remain."_

" _Prince?" Will repeated as he sat down on the log. "Paul isn't a prince."_

" _No," the fairy mused. "I suppose not. It's certainly not like it used to be. Oh well. Maybe once you believe he's coming to save you he'll appear."_

" _But remember," the fairy said with a chortle, "He has to believe too."_

* * *

"OK," Paul walked by himself in the park. "If I was a fairy where would I be?"

Almost as if hearing Paul's question a tiny little blue fairy buzzed near his ear.

"Oh thank goodness," Paul sighed as he held his hand out. "I need your help."

The fairy shook her head sadly as she landed in his palm, "Yes you do."

"My friend," Paul started explaining quickly. "He was under a spell and I woke him up by kissing him but now he's back under again."

"Oh that stupid green fairy," the blue fairy muttered to herself. "Well," she shook her head, "You must have done something to anger her."

"I think," Paul told her shame-faced, "It happened because last night I started doubting Will, my friend. I had been meeting him in my dreams but last night I started doubting the magic."

"Oh yes," the fairy nodded, "That would anger her indeed."

"How do I fix this?" Paul questioned. "I tried to kiss him and there's something blocking the way."

"Well," the fairy said, "In the olden days usually the prince would have to prove their love. Battle a dragon or fight for their maiden's hand."

"A dragon?" Paul spat out in disbelief. Taking a few moments to collect himself Paul said, "Will isn't a maiden and there are no dragons."

"Not actual dragons," the fairy responded, "But I'm sure you can think of something to conquer to prove you believe. To prove that your love is true."

"I don't even know if I do love him," Paul admitted. "Much less if what I feel for him is true."

"I would suggest you figure that out," the fairy advised before flying out of Paul's hand and out of sight.

* * *

 _Will crossed his arms and stared off into the fog. Without anything to see or anyone to talk to Will found himself speaking out loud, "I always loved fairy tales. Those were my favorite stories. I always hoped to have my happily ever after. After seeing what happened to my parents and grandparents and aunts and uncles all I wanted was to be happy."_

" _But what I never understood," Will continued, "Is why everything was so one-sided. Why did the princess always have to sit around and wait for the prince to save her?"_

" _I'm not a princess," Will firmly stated. "Just because I'm asleep doesn't mean I'm in distress. I can be the prince. How am I supposed to expect Paul to save me without trying to save him too?"_

" _Right," Will stood up. He bent over and yanked off a branch from the log he was sitting on. "Let's go prove you believe in magic and fairies and Paul too."_

* * *

' _Battle some metaphorical dragons_ ,' Paul thought to himself as he walked back to the mansion. ' _Where the hell do I even start with Will?_ ' Paul was suddenly reminded of one argument he had with Will. _'Will had screamed about Sonny never wanting someone like Will when he could have me.'_

' _That's it_ ,' Paul decided as he increased his speed. _'I found my dragon_.'

* * *

Paul sat down next to Will on the bed. He took Will's hand in his and took a deep breath. "Will," Paul brushed his thumb along Will's wrist, "I know there's a lot of history between us but we started out as friends. There has to be a reason we keep ending up here."

"I want you to know," Paul continued giving Will a smile. "I've never hated you. I know we didn't get along for a really long time but I never hated you."

"I like hearing about your family. They're so weird and different and it explains so much about you. These past weeks we've been meeting in our dreams I've learned so much about you. And I like you," Paul confessed. "You hardly ever filter what you say and I know it shouldn't be funny but a lot of the time it is."

"Your writing is wonderful. It doesn't matter what your writing about I'd read it," Paul said. "That's one of the things that drew us together, your writing. You were so honest with me about your writing and I don't know if I've ever told you thank you."

Paul looked back at Will and startled a bit when he saw the familiar green glow spreading across his face. Knowing he must have been doing something right Paul kept talking, "And I think you're really hot. I don't know why you aren't more confident, why your self-esteem is so low. Because you are a nice person and a good father and a great friend."

"And when you wake up, when I wake you up," Paul finished. "We're going to figure out all of this. We'll talk about everything and figure out what we're supposed to be doing. Because I know that this is something real. I wasn't ready to admit it before and I don't think it's just the magic. I'm the one that woke you up before because I'm the one that was supposed to. I'm your true love and I'm going to prove it."

* * *

 _Will held his stick out in front of him as he walked to the edge of the forest. Each time he got close the tree in front of him appeared farther and farther away. Setting his face Will started running. He was determined to get out of this stupid forest and wake up._

 _Each time the tree got farther and farther away Will screamed in frustration and ran harder. "I am not going to sit here and wait for Paul to save me," Will gritted out between his teeth. "I'm not a princess and I'm not in distress. That's not how love works."_

 _Will was so determined and focused he never noticed when the tree stopped moving away. Will almost ran right into it, stopping just in time. Catching his breath Will could have sworn he heard a voice overhead. He heard his name and a few murmurs._

 _A patch in the fog began to clear away leaving a spotlight on the tree in front of Will._

" _OK," Will said, "Something to do with the tree. I hope it's not that I have to climb it."_

 _Realizing there was no other option Will groaned as he put his hand on the tree._ 'I swear to god I'm going to kill Paul if this doesn't work.' _Hoisting himself onto the top branch Will closed his eyes, '_ It's just a dream.'

" _OK," Will carefully lifted his hands up for the next branch and pulled himself along. "True love, Horton. Just think about true love conquering all. That better include a fear of heights."_

* * *

Paul brushed his knuckles down Will's green tinted cheek. He bent over Will and whispered, "When you wake up we'll find a way to fall in love." Licking his lips Paul took a deep breath and sighed in relief when his lips touched Will's.

 _Will kept his eyes closed as he hoisted himself to the top branch, "This better prove that I'm serious."_

 _His limbs were shaking and he didn't want to know how high up he was._

" _Alright," Will said, "Now what do I do?"_

 _Opening his eyes when he heard a tiny buzzing Will wasn't entirely surprised when he saw a fairy in front of him. "At least you're not green," Will told the blue fairy. "Wait," Will looked her over, "Were you the one I saw when I was little?"_

" _Yes," the fairy clapped her hands together and smiled. "You were so small and sweet. Just like your true love when I met him."_

" _You met Paul?" Will asked. "Oh, you must have been the one on his baseball."_

" _Yes," the fairy laughed. "And I just saw him now. He's giving a leap of faith and now it's your turn."_

 _Will stared at her blankly before he realized what she meant, "No."_

" _Yes," she laughed again. "Just let go and trust that your true love will catch you."_

 _Will shook his head, "That's-I can't do that. Anything but that."_

" _It's the only way," the fairy informed him._

" _But, how can I just trust in that? You have to earn trust and, and work at it. It's not just there. That's not how love works," Will argued._

" _Maybe not," the fairy shrugged. "But the only way you'll ever discover what your love with him is going to be like is to jump."_

" _Right," Will licked his lips. "OK, time to prove myself. Magical fairy said to jump might as well jump."_

 _Will closed his eyes and started chanting, "True love is going to catch me. True love is going to catch me. Paul is going to catch me."_

 _Not giving himself a chance to talk himself out of it Will let go of the branch and jumped._

* * *

Paul pulled away from Will slowly, ' _Please tell me it worked_.'

Will opened his eyes and smiled slightly when he saw Paul leaning above him.

Paul helped Will to sit up, "You're back."

"Yeah," Will deliberated before yanking Paul into a hug. "I guess maybe this time we shouldn't just rely on meeting in our dreams."

"No," Paul agreed holding Will tightly against him. "This time we'll find a way to figure out what everything means."

"I'd like that," Will agreed. "But we'll take it slow, right? No jumping into a happily ever after."

"Of course," Paul chuckled slightly. "We kind of need to fall in love to discover how true our love could be."

"Just one more thing," Will said as he moved out of Paul's embrace. He put his hands on Paul's cheeks and kissed him softly.

Will gave Paul a small smile when he pulled away, "I've been a little out of it the last few times we've done that."

"Trust me, Will," Paul held Will's hands, "I'm just glad you're conscious enough to actually kiss back."

"Let's just hope when we fall asleep tonight we don't meet," Will teased as he got off the bed and stretched his stiff muscles.

"5 minutes together and you're already trying to get rid of me," Paul shook his head, "Must be a real relationship after all."

"Well," Will shrugged, "Every time I try to stay away from you I end up in a magical coma. Probably best to stick together after all, you know, just to be on the safe side."

"Right," Paul laced his fingers with Will's. "I think we've both learned you can't really fight magic."

"I don't think I want to anymore," Will admitted in a quiet voice. "I think I'm sticking with my leap of faith."

* * *

Author's note:

This is what happens when I watch Sleeping Beauty and can't focus on my other projects.

Not sure how this all happened but I kind of like it.

Thanks for reading and please review!


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